University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Charlotte
Marshall's Complete-Game Gem Shuts Down First-Place Charlotte, 6-4
05/21/2010 | Baseball
May 21, 2010
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Senior Ian Marshall made his last trip to the Pitt Field mound a memorable one. The righty fanned eight in his second complete-game this season as Richmond rallied to beat first-place Charlotte, 6-4, Friday afternoon. Mike Mergenthaler drove in three for the Spiders.
Due to impending weather, Saturday's regular-season finale has been changed to a 12 p.m. ET first pitch and Richmond will recognize its nine seniors in a pregame ceremony.
The win -- Richmond's first over Charlotte since the 49ers joined the Atlantic 10 in 2006 and the 49ers' first-ever loss at Pitt Field - improved the Spiders to 24-27 overall, 10-16 in the A-10. Charlotte slipped to 36-15, 19-7.
Marshall was the story for the Spiders as the senior hurled his second career complete game and the first nine-inning complete game allowed by the 49ers this season.
Retiring nine-consecutive batters midway through the contest, Marshall got stronger as the game progressed and fired scoreless baseball over the final five innings. He allowed four runs (three earned), walked two, struck out eight and improved to 4-4. Marshall has struck out 27 and walked two over his last 23 innings pitched.
Richmond's four-run uprising in the fourth inning proved to be the difference and Mergenthaler dealt the eventual game-winning blow -- ripping a two-RBI single up the middle to give the Spiders a 5-4 lead they would not relinquish. Two scored earlier in the frame thanks to an RBI from Adam McConnell and a Charlotte error.
The Spiders tacked on insurance in the fifth with Victor Croglio's sacrifice fly that scored Cameron Brown and capped the scoring in Richmond's 10th comeback win this season.
Charlotte seized an early 2-0 lead with a Ryan Rivers' two-run single in the first inning. The visitors made it 3-0 in the second with an RBI double from Shane Brown, who has collected eight hits in the first two games of the series.
But Marshall settled in and the Spiders got the got the comeback bid rolling in the third with an RBI from Mergenthaler after Robby Massar and McConnell led off the inning with back-to-back bunt singles and were moved into scoring position on Derek Boliek's sacrifice bunt.
Chris Cowell finished the day three-for-four, while Massar and Billy Barber each had two of Richmond's 10 hits.
Charlotte starter Tyler Pilkington was tagged for eight hits and five runs in 3.2 innings of work and was hung just his second loss this season (5-2).
